The (tiny) real McCoy
Sofie with her birthday cupcake, drinking juice from her Sofie-sized glass.
Sofie was out in the garage one day with Tim, saw an old kitchen broom, and proceeded to push the broom all across the driveway. She thought it the best “toy” EVER, unaffected that it was over double her height.
I set my shopping radar to find a Sofie sized broom. Surprised that I was unable to find one anywhere in town, I resorted to going online to Amazon. Reading the reviews of one particular broom, one writer mentioned she preferred the broom she found at the For Small Hands/Montessori Services website. I liked the idea that the reviewer noted it was an actual functioning broom and not a toy… just simply scaled down in size.
Perfect. Sofie has always had a keen eye for the real thing versus the baby toy version, and she will not waste her time on the latter.
Heading straight away to that web site, I stumbled upon this tiny glass.
Real glassware says “You are trusted.” Build confidence by offering thick, incredibly durable juice glasses.
I absolutely positively love the whole concept.
Yeah, they don’t hold much (3 oz.; 2½” high), but they’re perfectly sized for Sofie’s little hands. When she first used one, you could see her beaming with accomplishment at using a “real” glass all by herself. We’re kept busy refilling it, but seeing her proud face makes it totally worth it.
Her occupational therapist, Chris, also totally fell in love with them. (Chris was brought on board last spring to join the team of people monitoring Sofie’s development. Last spring, Sofie was still rather far behind when it came to the mechanics of eating, and Chris has been phenomenal in contributing to Sofie’s progress.)
The push broom I bought on the site has been great, too. It’s perfectly sized, and being a push broom agrees with Sofie’s instinct to “push” with a broom rather than “sweep.”
Of course I’ve known about Montessori schools, but have never really taken the time to look into what they’re all about. Montessori school was just never in my worldview. (I went to headstart. Tim went to Montessori school.)
Written in the ‘About Us’ dialog for this website:
Our main focus, however, has remained the same—providing materials for what Maria Montessori called the exercises of Practical Life. These activities help children learn everyday skills such as pouring, sweeping, preparing a snack, or helping in the yard.
If this is the case, I shall definitely further investigate this whole school of thought. Practicality is something seemingly so basic and fundamental, yet, as an adult, I have witnessed lacking in more teenagers and adults than I ever would have imagined.
p.s.: I began to wonder “Just what is the real McCoy?” Here’s what Wikipedia has to say, in case you were wondering, too.
Filed under NaBloPoMo, favorite things, sofia | Comment (0)
Thrill of the hunt
I’m a REALLY good shopper. Like, scary good. Not just good at buying stuff, but at nabbing deals.
The thrill of the hunt… the psychology and sociology behind it… the anthropology… I love it all. In fact, I tailored my BA studies to not just be about cultural anthropology but more precisely retail anthropology, taking numerous econ and business classes to complement. I idolize Paco Underhill; my dream job would be as his right hand gal, traveling the globe in effort to decode why people the world over buy what they buy.
For the past 11 years, I have freelanced as a mystery shopper for numerous companies. I can’t tell you here who my clients have been without having to shoot you, but they’ve run the gamut. I’ve been sent out into the field to purchase (and keep) $100 pillows, LOTS of coffee beverages, go to movies, restaurants, clothing, cocktails, and on and on and on.
Tim asked me the other day why I still do it, considering I complain about not having enough time to do much of anything, what with having a toddler and a real full time job. And it’s not as though I’m making bank doing it. Hardly.
My answer is that I honestly appreciate the opportunity to provide customer feedback. I’m a consumer advocate at heart. Go Ralph Nader. As a
teen,
while some
girls read Seventeen,
I read
Consumer Reports.As a teen, while some girls read Seventeen, I read Consumer Reports. (Okay, in 1981, 13 year old Gina was also a charter subscriber to Elle, the U.S. version, but I digress.)
***
Growing up, every Sunday, Mom would send me or one of my sisters down to the corner to buy a newspaper from the vending machine. Or, more precisely, she would give us enough quarters to open the machine and nab *ahem* 3-4 papers, sometimes sending a couple of us down there to doubly do the deed. It was all about getting those coupons. We’d all spread out on the floor and start clipping away, assembly-line style.
My family did not have much money. We never took family vacations. Our source of family bonding was when my Mom would take me and my sisters shopping. Mom didn’t learn to drive until I was well into my teens, which meant many shopping excursions were usually epic bus and taxi rides to the mall. (Epic because bus transit between Kansas City KS and MO SUCKS. Buses don’t directly cross the state line, thus requiring a roundabout path to get to the other side via the primary bus terminals.)
Black Friday and the day after Christmas were as important as the holidays. Mom would start scouring sales ads the few days before, and someone would get up as soon as the newspaper was made available on the day of the event. Mom literally plotted and drew up strategic maps and paths of travel with military precision. Typically, the first few door blockbusters would commence around 4am… 5am… Plied with coffee, we were THERE.
We would have medaled year after year had it been an Olympic event.
During my holiday visits home during the 90s, Mom and I still carried on this tradition. My other sisters weren’t as crazy committed.
Over the past decade, these two shopping holidays have really become rather lackluster. Merchants have begun to make their drastic markdowns days before. The handful of door blockbuster deals have dwindled to maybe a dozen of each item… certainly not enough to go around for the consistently - and surprisingly - large crowds that have gathered to await the opening of the doors.
It’s also been harder for Mom, as she’s become less mobile. Lupus is a mo’ fo’ *#@&.
Additionally, this past decade has seen online shopping escalate, having become a norm in society. Over the past couple of weeks, my email accounts have been littered with leaked Black Friday deals, often leaked by the merchants themselves. Also, many merchants now start their online sales the day before, that is, ON the actual holiday.
I never buy anything online without first checking to see if there is a coupon or promotion for the vendor from whom I’m purchasing.
My standard Google search string is “storename discount coupon code promotion”.
The top two sites that usually hook me up are retailmenot.com and dealtaker.com. And, if it’s compatible &/or comparable with the coupon, I will also always make sure I visit through one of the following portals which offer back to me cash or gift cards:
mypoints.com
fatwallet.com
mrrebates.com
ebates.com
I’ve used these for many years now. I used to also regularly use mileageplusmall.com, United Airline’s shopping portal, but UA did me wrong a couple of years ago, and I’m still protesting.
***
This Black Friday, Tim, Sofie and I will be heading south. I’ll be spending time with Lisa in San Juan Capistrano, while they go hang with Tim’s sister and brother in San Diego. I’m really looking forward to having some girl time with Lisa, going to La Jolla to see Xanadu the musical, drinking really good beer and really good coffee…
On the way down though, I will no doubt gaze longingly at the Camarillo Outlets, calling Mom to find out if she ventured out onto the playing field back in KC. And I’ll be missing her bunches.
You know, those shopping marathons… They weren’t ever really about the stuff. They were about the hunt… the chase… the adventure… all fortifying the bond with my Mom.
Filed under NaBloPoMo, blahblahblah | Comments (3)
